Melania Trump has made her debut on the UK box office charts, as the controversial documentary about the former First Lady lands at number 29 in its opening weekend. The film, directed by Brett Ratner, has managed to surpass the disastrous expectations many industry insiders had predicted, taking a total of £32,974 across 155 cinemas in the UK and Ireland.
A Surprising Performance Against the Odds
Despite the modest overall takings, distributors are reportedly breathing a sigh of relief at the documentary's performance. With a screen average of £212.80, the film's rollout was unprecedented for a documentary in the UK market, where most titles typically cap at around 25 locations. This extensive release strategy made the outcome particularly significant for observers.
Comparative Analysis with Other Documentaries
The documentary's performance can be contextualised by comparing it to other recent political films. Melania's take fell just short of the £33,000 achieved by Prime Minister, the documentary about former New Zealand leader Jacinda Ardern, during its first weekend. However, the Ardern film played on only 28 UK screens, achieving a much higher site average of £1,178.57 – more than five times greater than Melania's average.
Attendance at screenings varied dramatically across the country. While many showings were either empty or very sparsely attended, some venues reported sold-out performances. The early afternoon screening at Vue Islington in London, for instance, had to turn away prospective punters, who were nearly all journalists covering the film's release.
Wider Box Office Context
The UK box office was dominated by Chloé Zhao's Hamnet, which topped the charts on its fourth weekend of release with £1,412,612 across 737 locations. Paul Feig's erotic thriller The Housemaid followed closely behind, taking £1,399,262 on its sixth week across 596 cinemas.
The top five was completed by two other new releases – Shelter (£946,903) and Iron Lung (£948,731) – alongside Zootropolis 2, which continued its strong performance with £855,208 on its tenth week in cinemas.
Industry Perspective and Future Prospects
While comprehensive chart information remains unavailable from tracking company Comscore, a representative confirmed that Melania was the ninth best performing new release of the week. Twelve new titles entered the UK market last Friday, including limited Bollywood releases Mardaani 3 and Gandhi Talks.
The film's performance in the United States has also defied expectations, entering the charts at number three with a $7 million opening weekend. To achieve profitability, Ratner's documentary will need to take approximately $100 million globally, given the substantial $40 million Amazon paid for distribution rights plus an additional $35 million promotion budget.
This opening weekend result represents a significant moment for documentary distribution in the UK, demonstrating that even controversial political subjects can find an audience when given substantial theatrical exposure. The industry will be watching closely to see whether the film can maintain momentum in subsequent weeks.
